New Study May Reveal Why Young Voters Love Bernie Sanders

It's well established that young voters are "feeling the Bern"—in fact, 51 Million contributors S.E. Cupp and Krystal Ball discussed this just last month. Now a new survey of 18- to 26-year-olds, from pollster Frank Luntz, shows why he's the millennial guy—his big issues map almost perfectly onto theirs.

One thousand first- and second-time voters (a group Luntz calls the "Snapchat Generation"—the social media platform sponsored the study) were asked about their political leanings and their outlook on America's future. The answers revealed why Sanders is resonating with young voters: A majority of participants named as their most important issues the same topics that are cornerstones of the Sanders campaign. Just take a look at some of the results:

28 percent believed income inequality is the most pressing issue facing America today. Survey participants were "worried [most] about the widening gap between the rich and poor. The rich aren't paying their fair share and the poor are suffering."24 percent are worried about the cost of education. They also expressed concern that future Americans won't be able to afford the education they need for success.38 percent said "corruption" is America's greatest problem. "Greed" came in second at 29 percent.66 percent believe corporate America "embodies everything wrong with [the country]."58 percent prefer socialism to capitalism. (Nine percent even expressed support for communism.)31 percent chose Bernie Sanders as the political figure they liked and respected most. A full 45 percent said, if the election were held today, they would vote for Sanders.

However, youth support is notoriously difficult to count on in politics. It's not that young voters are fickle—it's that they often fail to vote, even after being wildly enthusiastic throughout the lead-up to the big day. Voter turnout is a huge issue for Sanders, because of his dependence on younger voters. He himself blamed low voter turnout for his loss in Nevada.

"I've said over and over again, we will do well when young people, when working-class people come out," Sanders said on Sunday during an appearance on NBC's Meet the Press. "We do not do well when the voter turnout is not large."

Things might work out for Sanders: 87 percent of the study's participants said they are likely to vote in this year's presidential election. Let's hope they do, no matter who they support—for the Snapchat Generation to have their voices heard, they'll have to add voting to their stories.